Only her
by DeadlyFandoms
Summary: Levi is devastated over the loss of his entire squad, and there is only one person that can help him deal with his heartbreak: Hanji. But after a scouting mission to help rescue trapped civilians goes wrong and he may end up losing Hanji too.Levi is not able to deal with the lose of the only special person he has left in his life. / LeviHan romance fanfiction. [COMPLETED]


"Listen up everyone!-" Erwin's voice boomed without emotion, "—as I'm sure you recall we encountered many problems during our last expedition, and unfortunately many of our comrades were lost." He paused for a moment, contemplating, but his face did not change. "Now, we have not heard any more about the female Titan since the last scouting mission, and for a while we hope to keep it that way, however, we have had reports of a breach in the Krolva district. The Garrison regiment have managed to secure the breach and even take out a few of the Titans; however, many civilians are still in danger -" The soldiers shuffled with stiffening nerves and a heated sense of determination. "So, as I'm sure you've guessed, it is our job to eliminate the rest. We leave in exactly one hour. Please attend to the necessary preparations." In response, the commander got several cries of loyalty accompanied but a sea of perfect salutes. The crowd disbanded, with each solider beginning to prepare their horses and combat gear. Levi began to walk away and slip into the crowd until he felt a confident tap on his shoulder. "Commander Levi, are you okay?"

"Of course" He said stubbornly.

"Levi, you lost your entire squad during our last expedition."

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you're going to be…okay"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked rhetorically as he walked off immediately. Erwin sighed. Levi walked with a speedier gait that usual and took shelter behind one of the buildings of the headquarters. He knew it would be quiet here. It had only been a number of weeks since his entire squad were killed by the Female Titan, but the pain of it made it feel like years. He wasn't even there when it happened, and before he knew it, he was left with nothing more than an empty table.

Naturally he was close to the members of his squad, being handpicked by him, he trusted them with his life; but the countless training and scouting missions had also made them extremely close, like family. And now, after the devastation, Levi felt like there was only one person left in his life that he could talk to.

"I can see you, Hanji." He groaned. Just as he'd predicted Hanji skipped out from the morning shadows.

"Hey, Shorty!" She giggled.

"What are you doing here?"

"The same thing as you, I guess."

"And what would that be?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sulking"

"Excuse me?"

"Erwin has just rejected me request to capture another Titan! It's so not fair! It's not my fault that my babies were murdered! Poor Sawney! Poor Beane! So innocent, so young, they had so much to live for! -" As she waffled excitedly, Levi sniffed. She stopped talking and looked at Levi as he let his head hang. He stayed completely still. Hanji's smile dropped and she moved towards him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing" He grunted stubbornly. Hanji almost smiled, she moved next to him, and leant on the wall – exactly the same he did.

"You may be stubborn but I can tell when you're lying. Talk to me." She said softly. It had been like this ever since the last scouting mission, Levi had never been one for emotions, but even he would admit that he wasn't completely stable after the loss of his squad. He remembered the night after it happened…

 _[Flashback]_

 _Levi marched out into the courtyard – the falling rain covering his tears. As he strode with sad anger he made his foot collide with one of the Wings of Freedom flags that stood proudly. He cried out as it clattered to the ground. He kicked anything else in sight, walls, fences…anything, each one accompanied by a yell or tear. He ran away from the courtyard and got as far away from the headquarters as he could until he came to a grassy patch a few hundred metres away. Without thinking he fell into a seated position. He could feel the tears flowing with a painfully unstoppable force, he'd never felt like this before. His entire squad, gone. Just like that._

 _He wasn't even there; some would argue that that was a good thing that he didn't have to suffer watching them die. But they were the 'Levi squad'… in a way… they were his, his closest and most trusted soldiers. And he wasn't there in their final moments. The connotations of them being his squad indicated protection, and although they were their own people, although they were some of the strongest scouts out there, he felt a sense of responsibility, he still needed to ensure their safety…and he failed; and in just a few short moments, all of them were murdered by a Titan._

 _No, not just any Titan, it was a person inside that thing's body…maybe even a scout. A person was singlehandedly responsible for their deaths. And he couldn't bear the thought of them being able to walk around with freedom. He imagined if the culprit was part of the Military Police, how the culprit could potentially being living in the luxury of the interior, living like an aristocrat; while being protected be the security of Wall Sina. Between his tears and hisses, Levi knew he wanted revenge._

" _Levi?" He heard someone say, their soft, feminine voice was muffled by the rain. It was Hanji._

" _What do you want, Four-eyes?" Sniffed Levi defensively._

" _Levi, what are you doing out here?" She studied his posture and moved closer to him, "Are you okay?" He didn't respond. Hanji sat next to him and studied his profile, even surrounded by the harsh rainfall she could tell that he was crying. "Levi…" She looked at him with caring eyes and ran her hand up his shoulder, that one little touch was what truly set him off. Before Hanji could process what happened, she felt Levi throw himself into her arms, forcing her to hold him tightly. She grunted from the force of his body, but she kept him in the embrace, making sure that she was the last one to let go._

" _They're gone Hanji, they're all gone!" He cried. She instantly knew what he meant; she had heard the news herself only a few hours earlier. "I wasn't even there, I couldn't help them…it's my fault, Hanji…I could've saved them…" His voice vibrated against her neck._

" _Listen, it wasn't your fault at all, we all know that that Titan was intelligent, it knew exactly how to take us down…if you had been there, well, you probably would've been killed too."_

" _At least I wouldn't have to live with the fact that I practically let them die!" He whimpered._

" _You're being too hard on yourself, Levi…there was nothing you could've done, other people would've died if you had abandoned your post…we're in a war Levi, a war against the Titans, and in war, not everyone gets to see the daylight at the end."_

" _Eren was the only one that made it out alive…"_

" _You don't blame Eren do you?" He was silent for a while, tense against Hanji's body._

" _No…We told him to trust the squad and he did…maybe it was the wrong decision…and he did his best to help…-" He let a few more tears slip, "—I don't know who I can trust…or maybe I'm just looking for someone to blame until I really know who did it…sometimes, I find myself thinking -"_

"— _You find yourself think that you wish it had been Eren instead…even though you never think like that, even though you would never want Eren to die because you care about every single scout."_

" _Yeah"_

 _Hanji had never seen Levi like this before, he not an emotional person, at least not visibly, for the longest time she didn't even think he could express emotions, yet there she was, holding Levi in the rain as he cried over the loss of his comrades. She placed a feather light kiss on the top of his head and held him until he was ready to let go._

 _[Flash forward to present]_

"Talk to me, Levi." Said Hanji.

"I guess…I guess I'm still a bit…'broken up' over…uh…over what happened on the last scouting mission." He could barely mention it anymore.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know."

"I know…I just hoped that it would be a little easier by this point."

"You lost some very close friends…it's not going to be easy for a while…you just need to find a way to cope."

"I talk to you." He said quickly. Neither of them could deny it, they had become very close to each other ever since that night in the rain, Hanji would always check up on Levi, even if it was just to simply ask him if he was okay. But sometimes, late at night Levi would find himself in Hanji's quarters, she was someone to talk to, someone who would listen. And Hanji didn't mind. She had become very special to Levi. Of course, they still relentlessly teased each other – both in and out of the presence of others, but now there was something stronger between them.

Levi turned to face Hanji and slowly snaked his arms around her and they engulfed each other in an embrace, this is usually how they found themselves whenever they met privately, and they both wished that they could stay like this for as long as they wanted; but the manic voices and rush of footsteps from the other side of the wall reminded them that they had to separate. They gave each other a brief but meaningful smile before they walked back into the courtyard.

 ****!****

The soldiers were ready, mounted on their horses and had their ODM gear by their sides. Erwin stood facing the crowd alongside Levi, Hanji and Moblit.

"We are about to embark on a serious rescue mission so I'll make this brief. In order to make the journey to the Krolva district as quick as possible we are going to leave the Trost district and make our way there outside of Wall Rose, obviously this is now Titan occupied territory, so be alert and be careful. Please do not engage in combat with a Titan unless it is absolutely necessary, obviously we want everyone to remain safe, but we also want every to remain alive -" Levi shuffled and Hanji gave him a reassuring look. "—Of course, when we arrive at the breach your duty is to take down any remaining Titans, but you must also remember to save civilians within reason -"

"Uh, Sir?" A voice interrupts Erwin.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, but what do you mean by 'Within reason'?" The scout asked. Erwin sighed before replying.

"Please don't think of me as cruel, but it would be dangerous to attempt to rescue a civilian at the expense of yourself or your comrades, in the long term, it is vital that we eliminate the Titan's to stop them from spreading and causing further threat. The lives of civilians are important, but sacrificing only a few is better than sacrificing a whole district." The scout nodded to show that he understood and the air turned tense and uneasy. "We are about to enter the streets, please remain focused on the task at hand." The soldiers saluted their leader and allowed their horses to follow Erwin's at a slow pace. As the horses walk towards the gate, crowds of people begin to surround them; men, women and children all gathered around to catch a glimpse of their protectors.

"Look! It's the scouts!" One gasped.

"They're looking a bit thin on the ground" Another muttered.

"It was because of their last expedition; they lost loads of soldiers and cancelled the mission only a few hours after they left."

"If you ask me, the captain has no idea what he's doing" Levi shot the two men look of warning.

"Kill those Titans! Kill them all!" Cried a woman holding a baby, her comment earned her cheers from her fellow villagers. Then two small boys ran to the front of the crowd.

"Wow! Look at them! They're so cool!"

"I want to be a scout just like them when I'm older!"

"Me too!"

"Good luck!" They both cried out. Hanji smiled and waved at them. The horses halted as they waited for the gate to open. A young girl ran up to the side of Levi's horse.

"Mr Levi!" She beamed, "Mr Levi!"

"Hey, what are you -" Levi began, but was interrupted by Hanji sudden motherly tone.

"You might want to watch out, Sweetheart, they're going to open the gate soon, and when they do all of these horses are going to go galloping out as fast as they can. We don't want you to get hurt."

"Oh, okay -" But before she left, the girl tugged at Levi's cape, "Mr Levi, I just wanted to say good luck, and thank you for protecting us!" Levi was unsure of what to say, but there was something about the girl's sweet voice and positive smile that warmed him. He smiled down at her before she ran back into her mother's embrace. The gate of the Trost district began to open and soon the scouts were off galloping towards their destination. The wind was strong around them, personifying the resistance that they all felt within themselves; they wanted to eliminate the Titans, they wanted to protect the people, it was their job, but every time they left there was a sense of terror, even amongst the strongest of them. When you're a Scout, any day could be your last. But the palpable trepidation was cut to shreds when Hanji's screeching voice erupted.

"Ahh! Soon I'll be able to see some brand new Titans! Ooh! What if there is an abnormal?!" One of the younger Scouts chuckled at her childlike wonder and enthusiasm. Then Erwin's voice cut in,

"Hanji, I hope you're not going to ask me if we can capture another Titan?"

"Did I say that? I don't think I did!" She giggled. Erwin smiled ever so slightly. "But can we?" Erwin sighed, like he was dealing with a humorous child.

"No, Hanji."

"Pleeeeease!" She begged.

"Hanji, I don't think you really need another Titan, I mean, you're just mourning over Sawney and Beane. You should let the grieving process run its course." Suggested Moblit.

"Is this really a conversation we're having?!" Intervened Levi with negative disbelief.

"But Levi! -" Hanji began, "Think of all of the Titans we're going to see today, big ones, little ones, maybe even abnormal! I'll get to look at them as much as I want!"

"You're screwed in the head, four eyes." Grunted Levi. Hanji laughed in response, almost taking as a compliment. Soon after, Hanji gazed over at Levi, hoping to catch his eyes, but he just looked forward, focused, determined, and angry at more things than just the Titans. But they had a long journey ahead of them.

"15 Metre Titan on the left! -" Announced Erwin, "—Do not pursue an attack unless yourself or others are put in danger!" The Titan was too far away to put any of them in immediate danger, but anxiety washed over them all and hung over them like a blanket – heavy and restricting. No one looked at it. They just kept their gaze forward, not even daring to take a peek, just hoping that it wouldn't get any closer…well, everyone except Hanji, who was practically being held back by Moblit. The eyes of the beast bore down onto them – predator eyeing up his prey. Its head tilted to the side and it smiled with a wide mouth. Levi snorted with disgust. The smile of the Titan made them feel uneasy and helpless, like they were nothing more than toys; in reality, that was the case, they were the Titan's snacks, and now they were practically being served up on a silver platter.

"Keep moving forward, if we move quickly enough we should be out of the way before it tries to approach us. Remember to stay close to the wall, that way we won't go too deep into Titan territory!" Were Erwin's next orders. They obeyed and kept moving.

 ****!****

The stamina of the horses kept them moving at a fast pace, the scouts did not encounter any more Titans and they arrived at the breach within the hour. Erwin halted the squad and found the nearest Garrison member.

"Do you have an official Titan count?"

"Not official, but we estimate around 6 to 8 Titan's present" He answered gruffly.

"How many of the civilians have been evacuated?"

"We evacuated as many as we could, and we think that the vast majority have been moved to safety, however, it has been confirmed that there are still some people out there" Said the Garrison member. Erwin turned to face the scouts.

"Okay, there is an estimate of around 8 Titan's present within the district, there aren't many of us so you will need to work together to ensure maximum safety. Remember our main priority is to eliminate the Titan's but please do not hesitate to evacuate civilians when possible!" He bellowed. "Ready?" The scouts gave him confirmation before galloping into the district.

The first thing that hits the newer scouts is the destruction of the town, although not many Titans came through the breach a vast number of buildings had been completely destroyed by the invasion. Rubble was everywhere and the town reeked of destruction. Some of them took a short moment to let their jaws hang; the younger scouts had never seen such devastation. With unspoken rules the scouts split into a few different groups, Hanji, Levi, Moblit and Erwin were in one and travelled down the centre of the district and before long they encountered the first three Titans.

They leaped off of their horses and began to zip through the air, the forceful wind making their skin sore. Levi whips around the largest Titan and soon takes it out with his token spinning manoeuvre. Hanji took the next, she swung from building to building, gaining height and working her way up to the nape of the Titan, she looped around the giant several time, lining up her entry.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit!" She laughed before slicing cleanly through its neck. The Titan fell and soon disappeared from sight. "See, nice and painless!" Hanji skipped over to the nearest house that was intact, she opened the door cautiously. "Hello? Is there anybody in here? My names Hanji, I'm a scout, we're here to take you to safety!" She called out, there was a moment of brief silence before a man and woman appeared.

"Thank you so much for coming!"

"The area is clear of Titans for the moment, if you head down the main road you will be escorted by members of the Garrison." As they walked out of the door, the woman put her hands on Hanji's cheeks.

"Bless you" She whimpered before hurrying to the Garrison. Hanji dashed back out and saw that Erwin and Moblit and taken out the remaining Titan, in the distance she could what looked Mikasa skilfully eliminating any Titans within her eyesight – she had a style similar to Levi's in both strength and determination. Further in the town a few of the scouts had found three small families squatting in a semi damaged house. Caked in dirt and blood they were escorted away from the conflict.

The dismal sound of children crying filled the air around them. For a brief moment they were stunned into a heavy silence, they rarely had to act with civilians, it was mostly the Garrison or Military police that would do that's, the duties of the scouts were mostly isolated from the walls, so to hear the trauma and destruction was shell-shocking.

"Keep moving, four eyes! Either find a Titan or find a civilian!" Called Levi. Hanji jogged down the street, trying to find anyone who was still alive. Most of the houses were too destroyed for anyone to possibly be living in; instead she decided to head towards the nearest Titan with Levi, she figured that as soon as the Titan's were gone, any remaining citizens would be safe anyway. She soared into the air and joined Levi on his approach to the next Titan, but once they got a good look at it they chose to land on a nearby roof top.

"Levi! Levi! Look, it's an abnormal!"

"Oh shit…" Levi sighed. Hanji walked to the edge of the rooftop and got as close to the Abnormal as she could.

"Hello, Big fella! Aren't you a funny one?!"

"Hanji…"

"I'm just looking! The commander only said that I wasn't allowed capture one, he said nothing about looking!" Levi moaned at her again. "Wow, look at you, you're not even interested in me." The Titan scurried up and down the same street, waving its arms in the air as it ran, it wasn't looking at Hanji or Levi, in fact, it was looking at any of the humans in the town. Hanji laughed almost manically. "You crack me up! Ooh! I need to think of a name for you...umm, Levi what do you think I should -" Levi wasn't there, "Levi?" But before she knew it, Levi had swung past and sliced deeply into the neck of the Abnormal. "Nooo! Bawney!" She wailed.

"Bawney?" Levi questioned judgmentally as he landed beside her.

"Yeah, Sawney and Beane combined! Bawney!" Levi cringed at Hanji before swinging off into the distance. "Well, I thought it was clever!" She said to herself. She followed Levi as they zipped around every inch of the town, searching for anyone who needed their help. "Hey look over there!" Hanji called to him.

"What now?"

"More Titans, but they look like they've formed a circle." They eyed each other with uncertainty and moved closer to the Titans; Erwin and Moblit were also approaching at the same rate. The Titans had in fact formed a circle, but to their horror it was a small girl that stood in the centre. She screamed, wailed and pleaded for a rescue, her voice distorted by her panic and her cheeks damped by her tears. "I'm saving that girl!" Announced Hanji.

"Wait!" Cried Erwin, "Take out the Titans first!" He ordered, trying to be logical.

"By the time we've done that one of them would've already eaten her!" Without stopping to listen to reason Hanji accelerated to the gathering of Titans.

Amongst the roar of Titans, all Hanji could hear was the petrified wail of the girl, she was so small and vulnerable; she had to do something, fast! For a moment she tried to swing past the Titans' faces – hoping to divert their attention, but it was to no avail, their hungry eyes were focused only on the girl. She swung back around and began to approach the girl, but as she began to descend she could feel that something was wrong with her gear. The mechanism malfunctioned, causing Hanji to jolt and before she knew it she was heading straight towards the nearest house.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but all three of them watched as Hanji's body collided with the building and became almost lifeless.

"Hanji!" Levi cried out. She didn't move. The attention of the Titans' had turned and was now focused entirely on a defenceless Hanji. At that moment, the young girl took her chance and bolted away from danger and straight into the arms of a waiting Moblit. The nearest Titan to Hanji began to slowly lower its hand towards her, ready to grasp. "Hanji!" Levi cried out again, but there was still no response. Hanji was seconds away from being eaten. Levi dived off of the roof, swung around and slid down towards her. The Titans were closing around them rapidly. He hauled her body over his small frame and tried to find an escape route. Without fully thinking he sung up from the centre of the circle and carried Hanji to safety. "Get rid of those Titans." Levi ordered them. They did so and left Levi on the roof with Hanji. He leant down close to her face, a tear threatening to fall from his eye.

"Hanji! Hanji, can you hear me?" Her face remained still. He pressed the lightest touch to her stomach. She was still breathing. Levi was crippled with worry, in his mind Hanji was his one true friend, the last person he had left in his life. He couldn't lose her too. He ran the back of his index finger down her delicate cheek. "Please, Hanji…" He whispered. "Please…" When he looked back up, the circle of Titans was no more. Erwin and Moblit return to his side.

"How is she?" Asked Moblit nervously.

"Unconscious -" He replies coldly, "—And probably badly bruised…maybe a broken bone or two."

"Levi, take Hanji to the medical wagon, on our way back I want you to sit in there with her and keep an eye on her condition. Do what you must to make sure she arrives back to headquarters safely"

"Yes, Sir" Levi used his gear to get Hanji to the wagon as quickly as he could, clutching her tightly the whole way; No one was there when her arrived. He placed her gently in the back of the wagon, he rested her head on a thin, worn down pillow and used his scouting cape as a substitute blanket. And he just sat there, his gaze never leaving her face. There was this constant ache in his chest, a sense of foreboding spreading through his body like a virus, spiking out into every single cell. His fear had taken him by the throat. He wanted to say a million things to her, but he also wanted her to hear them.

"Calm down you idiot" He whispered to himself, "She's going to be fine…she's just bruised, that's all." He gritted his teeth and swallowed hard. He took her hand in his and waited.

 ****!****

Levi wasn't sure when the scouts returned, but the next time he focused on the world around him they were moving swiftly towards the Trost district. Hanji was still in the same state. He gently removed her ODM gear and let his gaze fall back over her face. It finally struck him that Hanji risked her life for a young girl, for the protection of humanity, the true way of the Scout. Levi had been so caught up by the loss of his squad that he had forgotten why he became a Scout in the first place. Not for violence and petty revenge plots, but for the good and protection of humanity. His epiphany was interrupted by the voice of Moblit.

"How is she?"

"Still the same" Said Levi softly.

"Okay…keep an eye on her." He said almost awkwardly before galloping back to the front of the formation.

"I will." Levi said to the silence.

Levi was feeling a million things all at once; it made his stomach hollow and his chest heavy, a fluttering of both positive and negative emotions crashing throughout his body. His mind was tired. He decided to lie back with nothing to do but contemplate his struggle. It was a strange seesaw sensation; he had gotten so close to Hanji over the last few weeks, but it made him so confused. There was no way that he could just pass of Hanji as the person he would talk to every time him was sad or in a bad mood, he cared about her way too much to just give her that degrading label.

What exactly was he trying to figure out? What was he trying to give a definition to? He didn't seem content with calling Hanji and 'Friend' or 'Someone special', but every single branching thought he had was always followed up with: _'Are you suddenly having or focusing on these feelings because she almost died?'_ and he couldn't ignore that factor. Regardless of what he was thinking, or what he was trying to think about, Levi didn't want to ruin anything, nor did he want to make this war any harder than it already was.

 ****!****

When Levi looked up again he could see the gate the lead to the Trost district. Erwin spoke as the gate slowly began to open.

"I'm proud of you all. You will be given an official debrief when we return to headquarters" The Scouts could hear the commotion of people from behind the gate, several muffled voices spurting out both positive and negative comments.

"They're back already?!"

"Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know, they did leave only this morning"

"Yeah but they've been gone for hours"

"Plus, they were only going to another district, it's not like they were going out on a scouting mission"

"Do you think everything is okay? Do you think they've suffered casualties?"

"I hope not. It's not fair on the families"

"I want to see Captain Levi! I hope he's okay!"

"Nothing could ever take down Captain Levi! He's invincible!"

"What about that nice lady with the glasses?"

The voices eventually all came together in a crescendo, the air in the town was so busy with noise that it all became chaos, but it fell silent for a short while once the scouts began to move through the gate.

"Do you think Commander Erwin really knows what he's doing?"

"I think so, after all, the number of casualties have dropped significantly under his leadership"

"Hey, where's Captain Levi?!" The crowd began to bustle a little more.

"Huh?"

"I can't see Captain Levi?"

"Did something happen to him?"

"Wait, he's in the medical wagon!"

"Is he okay?"

"He's sat there with the glasses lady"

"Who?"

"Squad leader Hanji!"

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know" Then someone addressed the Scouts directly.

"Hey, Erwin! What happened? Is the Krolva district okay?" Erwin had never done this before, but for reasons unknown to him today he felt like it was important. He halted his horse, thus causing all of the squad to come to a standstill too. Erwin turned to the concerned crowd member, who had moved out onto the road.

"We eliminated all of the Titans that remained after the wall breached and helped to evacuate any remaining citizens. There were no civilian casualties. There were no Scout casualties…just an injury." He kicked his horse forward and said no more. The scouts returned to the headquarters, stabled their horses, stored their gear and returned to the courtyard to listen to Erwin's speech. Hanji was given a bed in their hospital wing.

"Today you all provided and excellent service for humanity, not only did we manage to chip away at the Titan population, but we also managed to save the lives of many. You all pulled together and did your bit from the greater good. You kept each other safe and I'm pleased with the results. Well done. Dismissed" Erwin tried to speak with Levi once again, but he was gone before he could even say his name, all he wanted to do was be with Hanji.

He walked over to the hospital wing as quick as his annoyingly short legs could carry him before eventually finding her in there alone. No nurses, no other scouts. She was the only one that filled a bed. Just her. Levi pulled up a chair beside her and sat in agony. He had reached a point where the cruelty of his imagination was beginning to get the better of him.

' _Surely she should be awake by now? She can't be unconscious for this long? Is she concussed? Is she going to be okay? Is there any damage to the brain? Exactly what is wrong with her? Where's the medical expert?!'_

As if on cue, that very medical expert appeared. His brown eyes were soft with empathy.

"Ah, Captain Levi, it's good to see you."

"What exactly is wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?" He asked coldly.

"Well, from what I deduct, she should be fine. Obviously she is unconscious at the moment and will most likely be suffering from a concussion when she wakes up, but it's nothing too serious. This collision of hers evidently was not as bad as it looked" Levi scowled at him, but let him continue, "Or, uh, she's just tough. Luckily for her she appears to have no broken bones, just bruising across her ribs and maybe some whiplash…it all sounds very substantial, but within a few weeks she should be back to her old self" The Doctor beamed at Levi. Levi's face remained stoic and somewhat irritated.

"When do you think she'll wake up?" Levi's tone was dry.

"Well, I can't say for certain, but it would be unusual if she hasn't come to by the end of tomorrow"

"Thank you." Said Levi with no hint of gratitude. He turned away from the Doctor and looked only at Hanji.

"Yes, well…I'll leave you to it" The Doctor left swiftly. A blade of light from the setting sun cast itself over Hanji's delicate figure, almost as if a metaphor was trying to force its way in. Levi just sat there, his chin resting on closed fists, all he could do was think, and not really about anything in particular; one minute his mind was tearing with worry, the next it was aching with emotions. So he just sat there, almost dazed. Then his eyes fluttered to a close.

 ****!****

When Levi peeled his heavy eyes open, he was blinded by the strength of the fresh morning light.

"Great" he murmured to himself as he realised that he'd passed on the chair.

"Morning, sleepy head!" A familiar voice giggled, Levi darted his gaze to left to see a slightly cut and bruised Hanji sat up and giggling at him. A look a relief washed over his face.

"Hanji!" He cried with uncharacteristic delight; without thinking he leant inwards and wrapped his arms around her, she gladly returned his embrace. "You idiot! I was so worried about you!"

"Levi…"

"Yeah?"

"As much as I'm enjoying the hug, this really hurts" Levi pulled away quickly.

"Sorry" He murmured. She smiled at him for a while before her expression turned to concern.

"How did the mission go? Did anyone get hurt?"

"Yes, YOU!"

"Aside from me, Shorty!"

"Well, if you must know, Four eyes, it was a complete success. All Titans were taken care of and all civilians were taken to safety"

"Even the little girl?"

"Yeah, she was fine, Moblit took her to the Garrison regiment"

"Does she have a family? Was she injured at all?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know. But she got out safe and alive, you saved her, Hanji" They were both silent for a few seconds, "Hanji, what you did for that girl was amazing"

"I was just doing my job, Levi"

"And that's exactly why it was amazing"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if this is just me, but I feel like for a long time I forgot why I'm here, why I do what I do. It's not enough to say that I ride a horse and slay Titans…and for so long…especially after the…the loss of my squad I became so focused on negative angles, I spent so much time thinking about revenge…but I thought for a very long time about what you did yesterday. There was just something about what you did, the way you risked your life without even a second thought, how your priorities only revolved around that little girl. You would've given up your life to save hers…it just reminded me that that's why we do this, that's why I'm here. I'm not here to seek petty revenge, I'm here to protect and serve humanity."

"I was just doing what I felt was right, even if only one person is better off because of our sacrifices…" Hanji took hold of Levi's hand, "Then we're doing our job right"

"You terrified me, you know?"

"I did?"

"Yeah…Yeah, you really did" Hanji giggled at him, "Hanji…" He paused for a few breaths, struggling to find the right words, "Hanji, I want you to know that over these last few weeks you have become very special to me. I've been in a bad way since…since what happened, you were there to listen when no one else was…I was never one for emotions, even when I was alone, but when I spend time with you, I feel human, like there's this whole side to me that I never knew about…hell, even this speech right now is completely alien coming from me…" He almost laughed, "I want you to know that I wasn't just using you to try and get rid of my problems, I genuinely enjoyed the moments I spent with you. That was why you had me so scared! For the longest time the only people who were close to me were my squad, and they were taken from me in seconds, soon after you became the only special person in my life…my only friend. I wasn't ready to lose you, Hanji…I wouldn't have been able to bear it. It would've broken me. You're too special"

For the longest time Hanji just smiled at him, with tears welling in her eyes, her throat dry and her mind absent of words. But to hear the man who she knew as the cold, grumpy and emotionless leader for so long say such powerful things to her, to convey to her something so private truly warmed her. But she read between the lines, and she knew that he was trying to say something more.

"Hanji…please say something" He almost laughed with nerves, but he did let a slight smile crack across his face.

"I really don't know what to say"

"Anything" He almost pleaded.

"Come here, I'll whisper it to you" She said with a devilish smirk. He was so dense. Levi shifted to the edge of his chair, their faces were practically touching. Levi shot her a look of expectation, like he still wanted her to say something, even in this situation. She let out a small laugh before pressing her lips to his. Levi's eyes fluttered for a minute in surprise, but he didn't pull away, he just enjoyed the sensation, but was nailed in to place through awkwardness alone. "There" Said Hanji as she pulled away from him. Levi stood there for a moment, contemplating.

"Technically that's not saying something" Oh god, Levi just made a joke. Hanji jokingly clipped him across the back of the head before pulling him in for another kiss. This time Levi leant into it and slid his hands to the back of her neck. Hanji could feel his icy fingers resting there. She grasped his hair gently and pulled him closer – forcing him to deepen this kiss. He did so, and eventually smiled into it. The room grew warm and they felt isolated, like it was just them in an empty world where time did not exist, there was just this moment in all of history. It was them and only them.

 ****!****

 **Author's Notes: Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading this! I really hope you enjoyed it. I would love to make excuses for why I haven't finished my other stories but I can't really. To tell you the truth, I'm incredibly stressed with school, I'm studying so hard to try and get a place at University, so I hardly have any time. And if I ever do get time to write, I'm afraid I can only write what I feel like writing, if I force myself to write something it either won't get finished or the final product would be awful. You amazing people deserve better than that.**

 **Anyway, once again, thank you so much for reading and thank you for being amazing!**

 **Love ya!**

 **~Georgia**


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